Innovation Norway cuts 51 jobs

Innovation Norway informs that 51 out of 766 employees have not been rehired after a restructuring process where the company's need for future employment has been analysed.

Cutting jobs in the public sector is rare in Norway, yet the state-owned company is trying to reduce costs and improve efficiency due to budget cuts. 22 positions will be cut at the head office in Oslo, 26 in the various district offices across Norway, and three positions abroad.

Innovation Norway was formed in 2004 through the merger of four governmental organizations, which included The Norwegian Tourist Board, The Norwegian Trade Council, The Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund, and the Government Consultative Office for Inventors.

CEO of Innovation Norway, Anita Krohn Traaseth tells DN that the goal is to make the company more efficient, and ensure that customers experience the same level of service, and the same kind of product at all the offices.

An internal survey shows that only 65 of Innovation Norway's resources are used on its clients. The remaining 35 percent are spent doing administrational work, Traaseth explains. "The distribution we want is 80/20, and we were not even close," states the CEO.

Fewer jobs also means that the company's management will be restructured. The organization will have two management levels, and fewer managers.

"Now we have to figure out how we can work across the organization, and how we can get these processes to work. The management does not have the answers to this question, this is an answer sheet that we will work on together, and it is a process one is not so accustomed to in the public sector," says Traaseth.

However, there is still hope for some of the 51 people who were not rehired on Monday. There are still jobs available, and the final decision on who will fill them will be made in May.

"No one has been fired yet. The number of people who lose their jobs will be less than 51," says Anne Marie Kittelsen, head of the union members in NTL Innovation Norway.